Do I hear two million dollars? Apple-1 fossil goes on the block, cassettes included

One of only 50 working Apple-1 computers goes up for auction next month in Boston. The board is a later model than the one that fetched $815,000 in 2016. That model was bought by Glamglow cosmetics founder Glenn Dellimore, who predicted it may have the value of a Picasso or Monet painting one day. Dellimore was prepared to pay …

[wolfetone]

I'll give you £10 for it.

[John Brown (no body)]

Can it play Crysis?

The post is required, and must contain letters.

[Lee D]

To be honest, I don't get why a Picasso would be worth the money they supposedly are.

Certainly don't see an Apple I being worth anything like the price they're asking, let alone a good long-term investment.

And, let's be honest, many of those bits AREN'T original, as stated, and some aren't anything to actually DO with the Apple at all.

While it works, sure it's a bit of history. But eventually it'll stop working and then it's just electronic junk with a serial number.

But then, to be honest, I don't get why a BRAND NEW Apple product is worth what people are willing to pay for it.

[David Shaw]

Expensive new Apple computers

They are expensive, yes, but the new MacBook Pro 13” for example is excellent value for money, especially with the eGPU.

[Youngone]

Re: Expensive new Apple computers

... the new MacBook Pro 13” for example is excellent value for money...

Thanks Tim!

[Mark 85]

Why are they worth the price?

It's the way of the wealthy. And more the way of the newly wealthy. Some will pay any amount so that they can have it and no one else can. Some sort of status symbol in essence.

[Mark 110]

Re: Why are they worth the price?

Therers also the historical interest and rarity. Anything thats rare goes up in value especially if it has some kind of cultural significance.

Don't worry about it. Not our money unless UK Gov decides we need one in a museum.

[MacroRodent]

Re: Why are they worth the price?

> Don't worry about it. Not our money unless UK Gov decides we need one in a museum.

There is already one Apple I at the London Science museum. I even took a photo of it last time I visited the place.

[ThomH]

I guess that once there are sufficiently few of an item that only 1% of the potential audience can be served, they'll attract the sort of prices that only 1% can afford to pay?

They're not necessarily investing, they just have enough money that they can.

[Anonymous Coward]

what buyer and seller agree

@ "To be honest, I don't get why a Picasso would be worth the money they supposedly are." because enough people agree that they are just like cash, bitcoin etc. basically everything that is bought or sold including money which is just a backed token of exchange. Nothing has absolute value only relative and there are a lot of suckers waiting to be parted from their wealth

In capitalism the price for anything is what buyer and seller agree and if someone willing to buy crap for £$ then you get bet there would be people willing to sell.

The apple at least still has some functional value if only in the amount of gold used in old chips

[jmch]

"Certainly don't see an Apple I being worth anything like the price they're asking, let alone a good long-term investment."

At this point the value isn't driven by whether it works. It's famous because it's famous and it's valuable because there are only a very few of them left. I would say that it is probably a great long-term investment because, working or not, it's one of a select few, of which none will ever be produced again. In this respect it IS like a Picasso. Whether you like the painting / computer or not is irrelevant, quite probably if bought now for 2 million it can be sold at some point in the future for 3 or 4.

The select class of ultra-mega-rich (the 0.0001%) are getting richer and richer and they will spend what for them is a trivial amount of money if just to say 'I have it'. Especially more so if more of this group of people come from the tech sector rather than the traditional industry / oil / retail / telecom giants

[eanderson]

You're so right Lee.

It seems people are lunatics when appraising things.

no New Apple computer will ever be worth what they charge for the thing.

[89724102172714182892114I7551670349743096734346773478647892349863592355648544996312855148587659264921]

Someday my Psion Organiser II will be even more valuable.

[Jason Bloomberg]

Someday my Psion Organiser II will be even more valuable.

I've got a whole load of 'historical crap' accumulating wealth and dust. The Acorn Atom is probably the rarest thing I have. Its value is, as always, whatever someone will pay.

As I always tell people; stick notes on kit to indicate it's valuable. Or, when you're gone, the ejits in your family are going to throw your 'rubbish' straight in the skip.

[Sgt_Oddball]

the ejits in your family are going to throw your 'rubbish' straight in the skip

My VIC 20 and Amiga 1200 fell victim to this. Like old pets they are truly missed.

[John Brown (no body)]

"My VIC 20 and Amiga 1200 fell victim to this. Like old pets they are truly missed."

What? You died and your family threw away your historic antiques? Who's your ISP these days? St Peters Gateway Inc.?

[Da Weezil]

"Who's your ISP these days? St Peters Gateway Inc.?"

Do they also offer cloud storage?

[John Brown (no body)]

Stop harping on about it!

[Tim99]

One reason that the old stuff from our youth is valuable(?) is that most of it got thrown away. Generally something that was popular and relatively expensive when we were children becomes collectable and expensive 20-30 years later when the child who wanted the toy can now indulge themself.

[Only me!]

Sinclair Calculator Collection

My Sinclair calculator collection will be worth more than you Psion ever will......(Well to be it will do and that is all that matters to me!!!)

It must be beer o'clock by now.....time to stop reading Le Reg...cough I mean leave work!

[89724102172714182892114I7551670349743096734346773478647892349863592355648544996312855148587659264921]

I know someone who still uses a Commodore PET, for his accounts. Rock solid after all these years and still living a useful life. Can't think of a single use for my Psion II, aside from calculating Elliot Waves, very very slowly.

[Spacedinvader]

On the bright side...

It won't be vulnerable to Meltdown and Spectre!

[ThomH]

Re: On the bright side...

Jobs' hatred of fans makes some vintage Apple products susceptible to the other type of meltdown.

[bombastic bob]

Re: On the bright side...

it won't be pre-installed with Win-10-nic

it won't slurp your private data

it won't flash advertisements in your face

[I'll stop now]

[IceC0ld]

Re: On the bright side...

it won't be pre-installed with Win-10-nic

it won't slurp your private data

it won't flash advertisements in your face

[I'll stop now]

===

then you connect to the interwebz, it updates, and BAM, you are now back in the rat race, the daily SPAM will be along shortly, albeit very slowly :o)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: On the bright side...

Are you sure? I was just about to ask that question.

[45RPM]

I love a bit of retro, me…

…and I think that the original Apples were an impressive technological achievement. But, for my money, I’d rather have a C64, Amstrad CPC, Spectrum, Apple IIgs or c - or (best of all) the Retro PC 5150 kit.

For my money, retro computing (like classic cars) is about the fun that you can have, not the investment value. And an Apple I (or pre e II) isn’t much fun. And the Retro PC 5150, whilst a technologically weak bit of technology (even in 1981 terms) can’t be beat for fun. It’s like Lego. But with microchips.

[WibbleMe]

SO HOW MUCH FOR AN IBM PS-1? its in my garage

[Mark 110]

Does it work? Off to ebay to have a quick look-up. There's probably a few pints in that bit of redundant kit.

[Mark 110]

£450 apparently - didn't look too hard - thats 4 or 5 good Friday nights out (without going overboard) :-)

[Version 1.0]

Darn it!

I wish I hadn't thrown my old one in the trash now.

[Wedge2]

Image on the monitor looks dodgy. I'll £2.50..

[crocodome]

How much you give me for my Commodore Vic 20 with games and cassette drive?

[Mark 110]

Nada. VIC 20 wasn't great in the first place and imagine there's loads. You need something rare - i.e. only 200 made . .

[Steve Goodey]

Has it got...

...a headphone socket?

[Anonymous Coward]

Only interested if...

It doesn't get U2's next album rammed into it overnight without my permisson.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sad Days

Wish I hadn't given away my KIM-1 and Osborne 1. The KIM-1 probably has some historical value, and the Osborne 1 would make a great boat anchor.

[89724102172714182892114I7551670349743096734346773478647892349863592355648544996312855148587659264921]

Re: Sad Days

Hey all the schoolkids used to write rude little infinite loops in BASIC on the huge line of Orbornes on display at WHSmiths. I was one of those annoying little f&cks... no change there... before anyone else says so. The cheapest computer in the lineup - Sinclair Spectrum - had the biggest impact on yoof, though the BBC MIcro and Acorn, 380Z interfaced our minds through school.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Sad Days

Ah, the 380Z, our computer club raised £3,500 to buy ours for the school, with the local Education department stumping up the other £3,500.

32KB and twin floppy drives WOW. I can still remember coding my first database on it.

Mind you, I also remember "Carrier Landing" on the ZX81, and working with the ZX80 (computer, not the chip) when I started work.

[Eltonga]

Re: Sad Days

Mind you, I also remember "Carrier Landing" on the ZX81, and working with the ZX80 (computer, not the chip) when I started work.

Erm... there is no ZX80 chip. Perhaps you refer to the Zilog Z80 (actually a Z80A working at whooping 4 MHz) that was the microprocessor behind both the ZX80 and ZX81.

[Christian Berger]

What's actually more interresting is how those early text modes worked

There are several books by Don Lancaster detailing about early computer video generation.

https://www.tinaja.com/ebksamp1.shtml

[Blue Pumpkin]

Re: What's actually more interresting is how those early text modes worked

Oh yes ... the Cheap Video Cookbook served me well and is still hanging about somewhere, probably next to the FORTH book ...

Programming with a soldering iron, those were days ...

[StuntMisanthrope]

iLegacy & Sons

Limited supply

Historically significant

Brand recognition

Verifiable provenance

Fixed and tangible asset

Education value

Guaranteed Increase in value

Kudos

Needs a good home and insurable.

Respect

I can't think of a reason not to buy it. #travelsgavelsandnavels

[Anonymous Coward]

That's nothing...

I'm on the hook to get my very own Sinclair Spectrum Vega+ (soon to be renamed the Thinclare Spocktrum Vogon+ in honour of Clare Balding, the late and truly great Leonard Nimoy, and the late and also truly great Douglas Adams, oh, and Sky withdrawing RCL's rights to the original name), and when I do, it's going straight on eBay for £3 million. So there.

Paris - because, well, why not!

[TWB]

My first ebay sale

Several years ago I wanted to try selling some old unwanted stuff on ebay for the first time, I decided to see if anyone wanted a non-working NewBrain computer I had had sitting around for many years . I was expecting maybe £5 to £10 so was quite surprised when it sold for nearly £190.

Sadly I don't think I have any more good old tech which will get that much - eMac anyone?.....

[Winkypop]

Hmmmm

Do they have one in white?

[royprime]

I'd stick with the classic car.

$2m? I'll stick with a classic Ferrari, at least when that breaks it's something beautiful to look at rather than some scrap old circuit boards.

[Bob-a-ROM-DOS]

As the owner ..

And IT professional of >50 years, I am proud to have recognized this as an INVESTMENT 41 years ago.

[henryd]

And my Jupiter Ace

I’d fire it up but can’t find (a) old enough tv or (b) working cassette deck to refurbish my forth skills